[dubs89]

HEY!

I am wanting to duplicate alot of tapes, DVD's, CD's and VHS etc. Here are a coupel questions though:

1) If i just purchase a cheap computer case and fill it up with 10 CD-r/DVD-r disk drives will this enable me to dupicate up to 9 disks at once?

2) What type of equipment will i need to duplicate VHS and tapes and then convert them into DVD / CD or even other VHS tapes?

3) How do i connect these to my computer?

Thank you in advance:)

[Cew27]

assuming you are doing this legally
you will need a powerful system to burn 9 dvds simultaneously
however i dont know if you are aware of this you can buy cases dedicated to duplicating disks

[pete21]

how do you connect 10 dvd rw up ? as i would like 4 also i have 3 harddrives

[philthomas]

As Crew27 said there are obviously legal implications here, which differ from one country to the next.
Assuming your intended use is legal a dedicated Duplicator, such as those listed here, will be a much better solution : http://svp.co.uk/category/cd_and_dvd_duplicator_kits
as you can see they come in differend sizes.

You will not be able to copy any commercial DVDs as these will have copy protection.

For VHS to VHS, the equipment will be more costly and is a bit beyond the scope of this forum IMO. In fact, if you have great volumes of VHS, you may be better off getting a quote from a professional provider. If small numbers are involved you could always hook up 2 x VHS Machines, but it will be very time consuming/ugly. Also Macrovision protection exists on many commercial VHS tapes, which will scramble the picture.

[Cew27]

i think there are programs that let you dupe commercial dvd's as a guy went into comet with a laptop with it on and they refused to fix it

[philthomas]

Originally Posted by Cew27 i think there are programs that let you dupe commercial dvd's as a guy went into comet with a laptop with it on and they refused to fix it

Yeah there certainly are, but I think the forum rules here will forbid any discussion on them

[Cew27]

i realise that

[dubs89]

Hi,

As far a having a strong enough PC to run 10 DVD-rw drives i have a $6000 workstation PC that pretty much can do anything...

This is all intended to be 100% legal BTW (Sort of a business).

So all i can really do is buy a overpriced duplicator rather than creat my own?
and for puting VHS on my machine i will jsut need a good capture card correct?
What is some good software for duplicating / burning DVD's?

[philthomas]

1) If i just purchase a cheap computer case and fill it up with 10 CD-r/DVD-r disk drives will this enable me to dupicate up to 9 disks at once?

No it wont, because you need control hardware and firmware and a means of interfacing.
It's possible to use a PC to burn to more than one disk at a time, provided you have enough IDE or SATA ports available on the motherboard, however the whole setup would be unwieldy and every writer would need to be the same make/model/speed and have the same firmware, to successfully burn all at once.
This would be a requirement with a dedicated Duplicator also, but at least with a Duplicator you are dealing with purpose built hardware and firmware. I cant imagine the pitfalls trying to run all that on a Windows shell, with third party burning software, like Nero etc.

It's not a question of how powerful your workstation is, that isn't the issue here. The issue is how compatible all the individual pieces of Hardware, Firmware & software are and how well they all work with each other. The duplicator may seem overpriced,but it's for a niche market and what isn't in these circumstances. The benefit of a Duplicator is .... if it doesn't work, as intended, then you have every right to a refund, from your supplier.
If you tried to do your own DIY box with 10 drives,Windows OS, Burning Software etc.etc. and it failed to work, ..... who do you blame or seek redress from ? ..... they would all blame each other and you would be "piggy in the middle" and out of pocket, with nothing working.

[dubs89]

very good responce:) what duplicator would you recomend?

[philthomas]

I am a bit out of touch these dayswith some of the new Manufacturers, but ACARD was always regarded as a good supplier, so unless you read anything more recent, to the contrary, they would be my recommendation.

I have to say though that the Edgedupe and Wytron models may be just as good, I just dont have any experience of them. Maybe, as this is a bit of a specialist area, you would be better Googling for Duplicator Forums (if they exist) and see if you can pick up more detailed information.
My knowledge is from a bit of personal use and from an old workmate, a few years ago, who used ACARD for a few volume jobs and swore by them.

HTH

[Carbon]

Most commercial burning software supports multi-disk burning. I'd say you could handle 3, maybe 4 burns at once on a relatively powerful computer (lots of CPU/HD cache, good clock speed, decent amount of RAM).

[philthomas]

In theory .... Yes, but in practice, it is frought with problems .... I've been there, got the T-Shirt.

All current burners work in DMA (Direct MemoryAccess) Mode, therefore do not use CPU or System resources. It isn't a powerful Computer that determines the result, it is compatibility, as mentioned above. I have seen problems with PC's burning with 2 x Drives, using Nero. Often a small technical point can cause issues, such as 2 x identical burners, but one is using different firmware.
Believe me, it's not for the feinthearted .... I would use a Dupe every time, to avoid the time/headaches.